After controlling fellow featherweight Georgi Karakhanyan for two full rounds, Freire used a devastating left hand and a flurry of follow-up shots to secure a third-round stoppage and book his spot in Bellator’s season-four featherweight tourney.

The bout served as the featured contest of Bellator 37, which took place Saturday night at the Lucky Star Casino in Concho, Okla., and aired on MTV2.

Karakhanyan opened up with his trademark aggression, but a leaping strike missed and left him clinched up with Freire. From there, the fight was a relative stalemate, but it was Freire who was generally on the outside pressing in. The Brazilian mixed in a few successful takedown attempts, though he never was able to capitalize on the position.

The second round saw more of the same, as Karakhanyan remained largely ineffective from the feet. Freire remained strong in the clinch, and in the closing minute of the frame he was able to take the back and secure a dominant position. To Karakhanyan’s credit, he tossed and roller an prevented the choke.

With the fight in hand in the third frame, Reis looked comfortable as Karakhanyan entered desperation mode. A left hand put Karakhanyan on the floor, and Freire swarmed with more than a dozen ground-and-pound blows, forcing the stoppage less than a minute into the final frame.

With the win, Freire (15-1 MMA, 3-1 BFC) rebounds from the first loss of his professional career, while Karakhanyan (14-3-1 MMA, 2-2 BFC) falls to just 1-2 in his past three outings.

Reis taps George in impressive fashion

Two-time Bellator tournament semifinalist Wilson Reis has been criticized for past complacency and an inability to finish. Neither was apparent on Saturday night.

Reis attacked opponent Zac George from the opening bell, and the result was a stunning mix of aggression and technique. Reis stalked George in the early going and landed to the chin with a few well-placed and powerful hooks. With George trapped against the cage, Reis ducked in for the takedown and took the fight to the floor.

It was the beginning of the end.

George worked a defensive rubber guard from his back, but he simply couldn’t keep Reis away. Pushing past the legs and delivering a flurry of hammerfists, sometimes in dual fashion, Reis forced George to expose his back. From there, the hooks went in, and a very deep rear-naked choke came shortly after. George could only muster a wave of submission at the 2:09 mark of the first round.

After securing passage into his third tourney semifinal, Reis said he’s focused on the task at hand.

“I’m going to take it fight by fight and see how far I can go,” Reis said.

Reis (12-2 MMA, 5-2 BFC) is now 5-1 in his past six outings, while George (20-4 MMA, 0-1 BFC) sees a six-fight win streak snapped in emphatic fashion.

Straus stuns Malegarie in three-round thriller

The opening round was all Malegarie, as the grappling ace rattled off a flurry of submission attempts that seemed destined to win the fight. After defending a Straus takedown, Malegarie scored one of his own and immediately transitioned to the back, where he locked in a body triangle and began seeking for the rear-naked choke. However, Straus had other ideas.

After a few tense minutes with Malegarie on his back, Straus turned into his foe and took top position. But Malegarie quickly adjusted and latched onto a guillotine-choke attempt. Nevertheless, Straus remained calm in the hold and eventually escaped the lock.

The second round started better for Straus, as he dropped his opponent with an early strike. Of course, that didn’t slow down Malegarie, who tried to secure a leglock. But Straus again survived, and the tide began to turn.

For the remainder of the fight, Straus appeared one step ahead of his foe. His takedown defense was sound, and his striking was just a touch crisper in the pocket. Neither fighter slowed until the final bell, but Straus seemed to strengthen as time wore on.

The third round was close throughout, but Straus remained the more active fighter, and he was rewarded for his efforts with a unanimous-decision win. All three judges scored the fight in his favor, 29-28.

Straus, who vowed to return even stronger in the tournament semifinals, said the back-and-forth war was exactly what he expected.

“It was a tough fight,” Straus admitted. “I’m going to come in better.”

Straus (15-3 MMA, 2-0 BFC) has now earned 11-straight wins, while Malegarie (19-1 MMA, 0-1 BFC) sees an incredible 19-fight win streak snapped in his first loss as a professional.

Foster taps Larkin in first

In the evening’s broadcast-opening bout, Kenny Foster made an instant impact with a dominating first-round win over a previously undefeated Eric Larkin.

The trouble started early for the four-time Division I All-American wrestler, as he ducked into a knee and receiving a huge gash on his forehead. The momentum remained on Foster’s side for the remainder of the contest. The former Division II wrestling standout reset on the feet, avoided a Larkin takedown attempt and secured one of his own, where he locked in a guillotine choke. Foster pulled guard to cinch the hold, and Larkin had no choice but to tap at the 3:15 mark of the opening round.

Following the win, an excited and emotional Foster said the tone for the fight was firmly established with the opening blow.

“I felt like when I hit him and he saw the blood, I felt like that right there broke his will,” Foster said. “I smelled a finish.”

In securing his spot in Bellator’s season-four featherweight tournament semifinals, Foster (9-2 MMA, 2-0 BFC) won for the second time under the promotion’s banner. Meanwhile, Larkin (3-1 MMA, 1-1 BFC) loses for the first time as a professional.

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